The Lone Wanderer's Diary
by tunnelsnakesandk1ngs
Summary: The Lone Wanderer has kept a diary since her 10th birthday. She doesn't let anyone read it, not even her childhood best friend, Butch DeLoria. But what happens when she finds out he's been keeping a journal of his own? Will she fight the urge to peak into the mind of the Serpent King, or will her curiosity get to the better of her? M for violence, language, romance, and drug usage.
1. Chapter I: Unlikely Bond

_Monday, July 13th, 2268_

_9:00 P.M._

_My first diary entry, hmm. Never thought I'd actually keep up with a diary, but Dad insisted it. Today was my 10th birthday. Down here in the Vault, every kid who turns the big 1-0 gets a very own Pip-Boy of their own. It sucks that I'm going to have to start doing work around the Vault tomorrow, but hey, "I'm another year older—and therefore another year wiser," according to Jonas._

. . .

"Happy Birthday!"

Momentarily blinded from the bright Atrium lights, I covered my eyes with my right hand. After a couple of seconds, I lowered my hand and noticed that my father, my best friend Amata, and some of my neighbors were standing in front of me with big smiles on their faces.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," Dad spoke as he handed me a party hat that matched the ones everyone else was wearing.

"Thanks, Dad," I thanked him as I put it on. I didn't tell him how ridiculous I looked with it on, though. I shot a cold look at my best friend, my only friend really, for silently giggling at me.

"Happy birthday," came a cold voice from behind me. I turned around to see the Overseer with an old Pip-Boy in his hands.

"Today is a very special day for you. Starting tomorrow you will be assigned some chores to help keep Vault 101 in pristine shape. Here is your very own Pip-Boy 3000A. Take good care of it."

"I will, sir. Thank you." I replied meekly as I held out my left arm to be fitted with the Pip-Boy. After fiddling around with some of the controls, I turned my attention back to Amata.

"I hope you enjoy the party. I got you something. Guess what it is." Amata giggled with her hands behind her back.

"Uhm, a date with Freddy Gomez?" I joked. I knew that Amata was harboring a crush for him.

"Ew, no way! Something way better! Grognak issue number fourteen. It was my dad's. I found it with his old toys he had as a kid. It's not like he's going to miss it."

My eyes lit up at the name Grognak. "Issue fourteen? In mint condition?" I gasped as Amata showed me the comic in its plastic case, I literally had to fight the urge to squeal in delight. "Thank you so much, Amata."

"Don't sweat it. You got me that miniature Buttercup toy I wanted for my birthday two months ago." Amata scanned the Atrium, noticing that only a handful of people were at the party. "I wish there were more people here. I asked all the kids in the Vault and even some of the grownups."

"It's okay. You're my only friend here in this Vault anyway," I looked around the room as well, taking note of who else was here besides my father and Amata. The first person I noticed was sweet Old Lady Palmer sipping from her bottle of Nuka-Cola. I waved bye at Amata and approached her booth.

"Hi, Mrs. Palmer," I said politely, sitting down across from her.

"Hello, dear," Old Lady Palmer smiled at me. I was very good friends with her, even though we had a huge age difference. I enjoyed listening to her stories about what the Vault was like before I was born. "It's not much, but I baked a sweet roll this morning just for you. Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Mrs. Palmer," I replied as I picked up the sweet roll. Old Lady Palmer knew I had a mad sweet tooth. Her sweet rolls were the tastiest food in the Vault, after Nuka-Cola's of course. It was still mildly warm from the oven.

"You're welcome. I hope you have a good birthday."

I left the booth and went to see Andy, the Mister Handy robot, just as he accidentally destroyed my birthday cake.

"I am simply mortified about the cake mishap," Andy apologized as he started cleaning up the mess.

"It's okay, Andy. I'll just eat the sweet roll Mrs. Palmer gave me," I replied, helping Andy clean. I wasn't mad at Andy, the cake was probably not as good as my sweet roll anyway. I wonder if Mrs. Palmer could make me a sweet roll cake next year!

After the mess was all cleaned up, I picked up my sweet roll. My mouth watered at the sight of its sweetness, and as soon as I opened my mouth, a shrill voice from behind me spoke.

"Give me your sweet roll!"

I turned around saw none other than Butch DeLoria, the Vault bully. He and his followers, Wally Mack and Paul Hannon, were trying to start up a silly little gang of their own. Butch looked at the sweet roll in my hand as he started to crack his knuckles.

I wasn't scared of him. I knew Butch was nothing without his minions, but I felt bad for the poor kid. His dad could be anyone in the Vault and his mother is a raging alcoholic. Dad thinks that she beats him since he constantly comes into the clinic with bruises and scrapes on his body.

"How about we share it, Butch?" I smiled weakly at him. "I don't have enough for everyone, but maybe Dad can find us some Potato Crisps and Nuka-Cola to eat instead."

"_How about we share it, Butch?_" he mocked me. It was worth a try, I guess. "How about hell no! Give me your sweet roll now or pay!"

I wasn't about to give up my sweet roll to a bully. "Get lost, Butch. I was trying to be nice." I looked down at my shoes, slightly embarrassed.

"If you don't give me your sweet roll in three seconds, I'll beat the snot out of ya!" he grinned wickedly at his so-called friends. "One…" he started counting, raising up his fists. "Two…"

"Fine!" I panicked and gave him my sweet roll. I didn't want to get in a fight in front of all my guests. It would be uncouth, and Dad would be disappointed in me.

"Thanks a lot, nosebleed." He laughed as he put the sweet roll in his pocket. He high-fived Wally and went back to his booth.

I sighed and sat down at the nearby stool. _There goes my favorite gift so far,_ I thought to myself. After talking with Stanley about the best ways to customize my new Pip-Boy, I noticed Dad came up next to me and patted my back.

"How do you like the party so far, sweetie?" Dad laughed me after I put on the baseball cap Stanley gave me. I put the party hat on top of it.

"It's good. Like Amata said, not many people came. But the ones I love are here, and that's all that matters." I smiled at him, trying to impress him. "Well," I glanced at Butch and his 'gang'.

Dad knew what I was about say, and he shook his head in agreement. "Yes, honey I know you don't really care for Butch. But his mother, oddly enough sober, asked if Butch could come. She said he didn't have anything better to do, he finished his homework and everything, and she'd rather him be in a safe environment than goofing off with his trouble maker friends."

I looked at Dad in amazement. "But I thought you said she beat Butch and everything?" I replied to him in a whisper.

"I thought that, too. I asked her about the cuts and she started to cry. She didn't know about them but she swore she never laid a hand on her 'Butchie' while she was intoxicated. I believe her." He looked sad, glancing towards Butch. "Anyway, onto lighter topics. I haven't given you your birthday present yet." He smiled as he pulled out a worn red diary from his coat.

I picked it up and studied it. My name was etched on the front cover in gold cursive. In the center, there was an oval frame, just waiting for a picture to be put there. I ran my fingers over my name, and smiled up at Dad. "Thank you."

He grinned and patted my back once more. "Your mother planned to give this to you on your 10th birthday. She wanted you to chronicle all your life events like she did. She thought it would be good for you to look back on it in the future and remember all your thoughts at that time. She wrote in hers at 9:00 P.M. every night until…" he trailed off and looked at the floor, tears pooling into his eyes. I knew it pained him to talk, much less think, about my mother. I gave him a tight hug.

He sniffled and hugged me back. "Jonas also has a gift for you as well. Follow me," he took my hand as we left the Atrium. I took one look back at Amata and smiled at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I also noticed Butch looking at me sadly. Before I could go talk to him, I was lead towards the lower Reactor Level to see Dad's friend Jonas. Dad held back at the top of the stairs and I ran down to see Jonas. Jonas smiled as he saw me come down the stairs and he ran towards me, lifting me up in a big bear hug.

"Hey, kid. I thought children weren't allowed in the Reactor Level," he teased as he ruffled my hair.

"That's not going to work on me today, Jonas. Dad says you have a gift for me." I told him as he put me back on the Vault floor.

"A gift?" Jonas bent down and looked at me square in the eyes. "Why would I have a gift for you? Did you do well on your science test?"

"Jonas, I already told her," Dad laughed as he came down the stairs and picked me up into another bear hug.

"Shoot," Jonas pretended to look sad. "Well girly, here it is." He picked up the box on one of the nearby tables and handed it to me.

I ripped open the package in anticipation. I've always loved Jonas' gifts as well. I gasped when I lifted the BB gun out of its box. She was a sight, so much better than that sweet roll, comic book, and baseball cap combined. I marveled at it, running my fingers over all the dents and faded paint. It wasn't in mint condition like my comic collection, but it was mine. My first BB gun. I couldn't wait to play with it and practice shooting things. My expression darkened as I realized that weapons were illegal in the Vault, except on the police officers. Jonas noticed my shift from joy to sadness and stared at me. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"I can't use this. It's illegal, remember. I don't know where you bought it or found it, but I'm going to get into so much trouble if the Overseer catches us with this," I held back my tears as I handed my 'Baby' back to Jonas. Jonas and Dad laughed.

"Don't worry. The Overseer won't catch us. You can shoot anytime you want down here as long as you are with your Dad or me." Jonas grinned as he handed back my beautiful BB gun. I smiled and gave Jonas a cub hug. "Can I practice on Butch?" I giggled.

"I'd love to see that, actually," Dad laughed but became suddenly serious. "No, sweetie. Don't use her on any humans. Just targets and the stray Radroach. Maybe we can make some of your targets look like him."

I laughed. "Can we practice now?"

"Of course, sweetie," Dad smiled and led me to another room. I instantly spotted the three targets, just waiting for me to hit them. "Show me what you got," Dad said as he handed me some BB's.

I put a few BB's into my 'DeLorian'. I thought it would be a perfect name for my gun, since I'll be shooting targets of Butch. I raised the DeLorian at the targets, and pulled the trigger at the first target. Dead center. I was pretty damn good for a ten-year old.

"That was great!" Jonas and Dad exclaimed in unison. "Maybe you'll be better at your dear old Dad one of these days," Jonas chuckled.

I kept hitting the three targets, dead in the center on all of them. As I was about to try hitting them one-handed, I noticed a Radroach appear from behind one of the boxes. Aiming my DeLorian, I shot the ugly little thing in its tiny face, its blood oozing from the hole I created. I smiled and blew on the barrel like the cowboys did in the holotapes we watched in history class.

Dad looked at me and gave me the biggest grin I've ever seen. "There's my little Radroach exterminator," he joked and he lifted me up and planted a kiss on my right cheek. "Jonas, do you mind taking a picture of me and my little girl?" he asked.

"I'm not little anymore, Dad." I giggled. "I'm the big 1-0 now."

Dad pulled me to his side as we grinned for the picture, my DeLorian held tightly in my arms. Jonas took four pictures; one with Dad and I smiling, one with me pretending to shoot my Dad, one with me and my DeLorian, and one with Jonas once he put the Codac R9000 on timer. Dad took the third photo and put it in the frame of my diary.

"I love you," he said as he lifted me up and put me on his shoulders.

. . .

_So that's everything that's happened today. I had a really great birthday, except for the Butch incident._

I stopped writing the minute I heard a knock on my door. I put down my pencil and diary and went towards my door. It was probably Dad wishing me goodnight. My jaw dropped the instant I opened my door. It wasn't my Dad in front of me; it was none other than Butch DeLoria, handing me back my sweet roll with a lit candle in the middle, a letter, and a wrapped box. He smiled at me, and I smiled back at my new unlikely friend.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey there! First time poster, long time writer and lurker. I'll try to keep posting every two weeks or so. I'm a college freshman and needless to say, my schoolwork keeps me busy. The next chapter will start off with the G.O.A.T. After the third chapter (based on _Escape!_), I'll drift away from the main quest. I'm using the main quest so far to write in about their friendship growing up in the Vault. I'm going to include some new characters, locations, and quests. Thank you so much for reading. I'd love to hear your criticisms and praises.


	2. Chapter II: The Friends the Trustiest

_08/03/74_

_9 pm_

_It's the Butch man! We took the G.O.A.T. today. Fuckin' piece of shit. She got her dream career, and I'm happy for her, but I'ma damn barber! What a gay-ass job! I wanted to be a fuckin' tattoo artist or somethin' cool, ya know? Why ain't Freddie the Freak the barber? Stupid rigged test._

. . .

"Question Ten," Mr. Brotch, my dumb as fuck teacher, read out the last question of the stupid 'Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test'. "Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?"

_Obviously, it's the fuckin' Overseer_, I thought to myself as I circled the first answer, which was just like the rest of the answers, The Overseer. I put my pencil down and took a deep breath. _There ya go Butch. That damn test was a piece of cake. You probably got the baddest job of 'em all_.

"Okay everyone, turn in the G.O.A.T. to me before you leave today. You all have the rest of the day off to celebrate, or pray as the situation warrants," Mr. Brotch remarked as he headed towards his desk. I grabbed a sheet of scratch paper, crunched it up, and threw at James' daughter's head. She turned and scowled at me, and in return I winked and blew her a kiss. I knew she didn't like me the way I liked her, but I think it makes her feel good knowing she's wanted by the baddest fucker in the Vault.

I slowly approached Mr. Brotch's desk, silently dreading my results. "Here's my G.O.A.T., Brotch" I spoke casually, handing him my paper.

"It's _Mr._ Brotch to you, Mr. DeLoria," Mr. Brotch replied in a cold tone as he took my paper and began to grade it.

It felt like hours waiting for him to finish grading it. Once he checked the last question, he looked straight into my eyes and laughed out loud. I could feel my rage boiling up inside of me. _What the fuck is this dickhead's problem?_

"What's so fuckin' funny?" I asked, trying my very best to keep the anger in my voice down to a minimum.

"You're the next Vault hairdresser, Butch," he laughed, clutching his sides. I could hear her laughing behind me. I turned around, flipped her the bird, and turned my attention back to this asshole.

"_Hairdresser? _Bullshit, I want a retake." I replied.

"There are no retakes, Mr. DeLoria. Either take it, or well, take it. I can't change the answers for you, even if I could." His laughter was slowly dying down.

"Go to Hell, Mr. Crotch." I spat at him. I grabbed my book bag, pushed Freddie the Freak outta the way, and headed towards my place.

I entered my apartment, threw my book bag into my room, and headed towards the kitchen where I grabbed three Ice-Cold Nuka-Cola's from the fridge. James and his daughter shared the same love of sweets as I did, and every time one of us visited, we'd bring some sort of sugary goodness along. I'd be getting the three bottle caps from the Cola's back since I was the one who brought them. As I turned around to leave, I noticed my Ma sittin' at the kitchen table, eatin' some Salisbury steak, her favorite. I sat down opposite her at the table.

"Hello, Butchie. How did the G.O.A.T. today go?" she asked.

I sighed. I didn't want to talk about my bad result, but I also didn't want to lie to her and say I did well on it. I took a deep breath and told her, "I'm the fuckin' barber, Ma."

Ma smiled and squeezed my hand. She's gotten better at her drinkin' problem since I became thick as thieves with James' daughter. Since she's been makin' me a better person, Ma thought she'd better herself as well. Now she only drinks at parties.

"I'm proud of you, sunny. I realize that's not the job you wanted, but it's better than being a garbage burner. I'll bet James' sweet daughter would be willing to let you test out on her hair."

I returned Ma's smile. She was the only one who knew how I felt about her. If it wasn't for her pleading James into letting me come to her birthday party those six years ago, I would never have become friends with her. I felt awful for treating her like crap on her special day. When she left with her father, I ran towards the store and bought the prettiest locket all my bottle caps could afford. I wrote her a letter apologizing and I put a candle in the sweet roll I stole from her. Since her cake was destroyed, and I knew she loved sweet rolls as much as I did, I figured it'd be a good makeshift birthday cake. Later that night, I asked Ma to bake her a red velvet cake to match her gorgeous red locks of hair.

"I'll ask her, Ma. I'm goin' to her place. See ya later," I stood up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

When I reached the Clinic, I noticed James was sitting at his terminal, typing away. He turned around when he heard the door open, and smiled when he saw the Cola's in my arms.

"Hey, son," he called out. James referred to me as the 'son I never had' and in return, I called him 'Pops'. I will forever be envious of the relationship James and his daughter share. Seeing them together, it makes me wonder who my father really is. I've asked Ma a dozen times, but she refuses to tell me, changing the subject as soon as it is brought up.

"Want a Cola, Pops?" I ask, handing him one of the bad boys. He took it from my hands, popped the cap off, and took a long gulp. Handing me the cap, he asked, "How did you do on that G.O.A.T.?"

"Awful, I'm the barber." I groan, opening a Cola as well.

"Don't feel bad about your result, son. Do you want to know what I wanted to be when I took my G.O.A.T.?"

"Sure," I replied after downing the entire Cola in five gulps. I was aching for some whiskey, but James would freak out if I pulled out my flask.

"I wanted to be a teacher," he responded, taking another long gulp of Cola.

I looked at James with my mouth agape. _James a teacher? No fuckin' way._ "You gotta be shittin' me, old man."

James laughed. "'Fraid not. But throughout my years of being the Vault physician, I've noticed that I am able to teach my patients how to take care of themselves. Say," James looked at me with a gleam in his eye. "Care to learn one of the tricks of my trade? It might save your life one day."

I grinned at James. James and Butch bonding time is what makes my Mondays. "Hell yea,"

"Well," James began. "Let's start with something moderately simple; burns. After being burned, you should run the area over cool water for ten to fifteen minutes. Wrap some clean gauze over it and change it every day. If blisters occur, do not pop them. Take some pain reliever if there is any nearby. Let me write all of this on your Pip-Boy."

I held out my left arm as James typed away the directions. After he finished, he asked, "If you'd like, I could teach you some more first-aid tips."

"I would love that," I replied, skimming back over the directions. I probably would never receive a burn, because fuck you I'm the Butch man, but this shit could come in handy someday.

The door to the Clinic opened and she stepped through, smiling from ear to ear. She announced, "I'm the next Pip-Boy Programmer, Dad."

James ran towards his daughter and pulled her into a hug. Ever since I can remember, she always talked about becoming a Pip-Boy Programmer. She would always hack and tweak hers, customizing every possible inch she could.

The minute she pulled away from her father, I ran up to her and hugged her as well. She laughed and tried to break free from my strong grip. I didn't want to let go, I felt at home whenever we touched. We were just best friends, and I prayed to Saint Monica that it would someday change, but when we arm wrestled, hugged, and pinkie promised, it sent electric shocks throughout my body. The way her skin felt, smelled, and looked, it drove me wild. I loved every inch of her.

"I want to show you something," she asked as we pulled apart. We said our goodbyes to James and headed outside.

"Let's swing by the Diner first, baby doll." I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into yet another hug, smelling the sweet aroma of her hair.

She giggled and pushed out of my grip. "We can't. Everyone will see us."

"Just wait by the door or somethin' and I'll grab the grub. You want the usual, right?" I asked, giving her the best damn puppy dog look I could.

She bit her lip and I knew at that moment she gave in. "Fine. I'll go talk to Amata or something."

I gave her a peck on the forehead and strode in the Diner. Almost all of our classmates were in there and I instantly noticed my 'girlfriend' Christine Kendall, sharing some fries with her best friend Susie Mack. I winked at them both and approached Freddie Gomez, the fry cook.

"Gimme two Vault burgers, a large fry and a large strawberry shake, freakazoid" I **ordered**. After paying him 20 caps, I sat down next to my whore. Christine and Susie disgusted me, but what's a Tunnel Snake to do? I can't rely on my hand all the damn time.

"Hey, kitty cat," I cooed at Christine, giving her a peck on the lips. _Note to self: rinse mouth out with whiskey. _"I can't swing by tonight, baby girl. Ma ain't feelin' so hot, so I'ma pickin' her up some grub."

Christine rolled her eyes at me and replied "Whatever, Butch. I'm going to Wally's party tonight anyway."

"Aye, don't get prissy with me," I snapped. She never liked my Ma, and whenever someone said shit about her, I would beat the shit outta 'em. Except girls of course, but Christine is so fucked up with Jet anyway that she's startin' to look like a dude herself. Freak Boy came by the booth with my order and I left Christine and Susie with their dumbfounded expressions.

After leavin' the Diner, I saw that she was talkin' to Amata. I didn't feel like makin' a scene, so I hid while waiting for them to leave. It seemed like decades, but Amata finally shut her pie hole and entered the Diner. Setting our food down on the ground, I snuck up behind my gal, hugged her from behind, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Oomph! Butch!" she screamed, trying to wiggle free. I laughed, goosed her, and handed her the food. "Relax, girly. What were you gonna show me, anyway?"

"You are _too_ immature sometimes, you know that?" she replied angrily, slapping me upside the head playfully. She headed towards the stairs leading to the Reactor Level, and I followed her like a puppy.

"What're we doin' down here?" I asked as we reached the Reactor Level and entered one of the rooms. Only Vault personnel were allowed down here, and while I have been known to sneak down here for some horizontal bop time with Christine and Susie, I waited until late at night, not around twelve o'clock in the afternoon. I looked around my surroundings and noticed a shit ton of targets strewn across the room, ranging in sizes and distances. I turned back around to ask her again why we came down here, but I noticed that she aimed a BB gun straight for my beautiful face.

"Wh-what are yo-," I began but didn't finish as she pulled the trigger and released one of the BB's. I ducked and looked behind me. She wasn't aiming for my head; she was aiming for the target _above_ my head. I smirked at her. "You're pretty damn good—for a _girl_."

She laughed, kissed the gun, and started firing some more targets. "Fuck you too, Butch," she replied and after shooting a bit more, she sat down on the cold floor and patted the empty space next to her.

I sat down and put my left arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me. She handed me my burger and I put two straws in our shake. Pulling out my worn flask, I was about to dump half of the contents into the malt before she put her hand over the top of the shake, protecting it. "I don't drink, Butch. Remember?"

I groaned. Daddy's little straight-A goody two shoes. I loved her to death, but damn she'd be even more irresistible if she started drinkin' like me. I tilted my head back and took a big gulp of my liquid courage, wiping my lips on the back of my jacket sleeve.

We sat in silence munching on our food. I was playing with a loose string on my jump suit and she was readin' that damn diary of hers. I leaned over and tried to take a peak, but she moved and tucked her diary away.

"Aw, c'mon girly, why won't you let the Butch man read your diary, eh?" I slurred, slowly becoming tipsy.

She sighed. "Haven't you heard of privacy? You wouldn't want to read what goes on in my head."

I groaned again and asked, "You are always writin' in that thing at 9 p.m. every night."

"Of course, Butch. I document every minute of my day."

"Weirdo," I replied, taking another swig of my whiskey. She punched me in my shoulder and began reading some more. "If I started keepin' a journal, I'd let you read it," I confessed to her.

She rolled her eyes. "Freak, a journal is supposed to be private." She put her diary down and turned on her Pip-Boy to her favorite song, "Way Back Home".

Listening to the beautiful tune of the Pre-War song come out of that hunk of junk on her arm, she began to sing along to Bob Crosby. "The roads are the dustiest."

I chimed in along with her. "The winds are the gustiest."

"The gates are the rustiest."

"The pies are the crustiest," I sang, comically licking my lips.

"The songs the lustiest," she sang, trying to hold back her laughter.

"The friends the trustiest," I looked at her and smiled to myself.

"Way back home," we sang in unison.

We sang the entire song until our voices were nearly gone. Finishing up our greasy diner food, we both stood up to go back to my apartment and work on our book reports on _1984_.

I stumbled when I first stood up, tipsy from my whiskey. Slowly walking next to her, I tried to not fall on my ass. I tripped on her shoelace and pushed her back against one of the walls, one hand leaning against it for support.

In the blink of an eye, she pulled me closer to her by my jacket collar. If I wasn't so tipsy off my ass, I woulda yelled at her to not ruin it. But with that damn liquid courage running through my veins and breaking down my mental filter, she coulda beat the shit out of me and I wouldn't have cared.

She slowly moved her head towards mine. I could feel her hot breath that smelled like the strawberry shake. I leaned towards her right ear and whispered,

"If you wanna get closer to me, that's all you gotta say girl."

She opened her eyes and backed away from me in a fit of giggles. I scowled at myself. _Damn fuckin' fool. You were this close. Idiot._ I closed my eyes as my stomach did somersaults.

. . .

_She thinks I'm writing my book report right now, so I better end this soon before she starts thinkin' I'm a genius and stops helpin' me with my work. I wonder if she'll ever let me read her diary. I already told her she can look at my journal anytime. I'ma signin' off._

_Her Serpent King_

* * *

**Author's Note:** I apologize for the somewhat long delay in updating. I wrote originally seven pages for this chapter, but Word dun goofed on me and I had to rewrite everything all over again D: ! Luckily I remembered everything that I wrote, and I just added a couple of new scenes. I plan on leaving the Lone Wanderer's name blank (I might change that later on), but she has dark red hair and light blue eyes. I enjoyed writing in Butch's POV and I'm really excited to start writing the third chapter. I should have it posted within next week or so. I've only gotten two reviews and two follows on this story at the time of this writing, but I would like to thank all of you for even reading my mediocre fan fiction. :)

P.S. In case this or any of my future works get deleted from for any reason, I also post them on Wattpad and my Tumblr. Same username on both.


	3. Chapter III: You're Not So Bad for a Smo

**Chapter III: You're Not So Bad for a Smooth Skin**

_Friday August 17th, 2277_

_9:00 P.M._

_I did it. I escaped. Like Butch and I always dreamed of doing since the day I turned eighteen. Except this time, Butch wasn't with me. It was just me. But I've found a new friend; a ghoul named Gob. I just need to find a more permanent home than this old house in Springvale. I should be fine. I just need to make my way back home to him and Amata._

. . .

"Get up, get up!" the shrill feminine voice that belonged to none other than Amata Almodavar screamed at me, pulling away my covers, shaking me, doing everything she could to wake me up from my dream.

I didn't have to work today, so I wanted to sleep in. But something was wrong in Amata's voice. So I opened my eyes, wiped the sleep from them while yawning, and asked her, "What's wrong, Amata? I don't have work today."

"Your dad is gone!" she screamed at me. "They killed Jonas. Your dad escaped. They're coming after you!" She held back her tears.

"That's impossible, Amata," I reassured her. _Maybe I was still dreaming._ "I've heard your Dad. 'We're born in the Vault, we die in the Vault'. We can't leave."

"YOU WEREN'T BORN IN 101!" she screamed again, her voice becoming hoarse. She let the tears flow this time. "You and your Dad came in to Vault 101 when you were a baby. I just heard Dad talking about it. Now he's gone back out there for some reason and now my father and his goons want to kill you. You have to escape. I can't live with myself knowing that you're dead. And your father wouldn't live with himself either if he found out."

I could tell by Amata's demeanor that she wasn't lying to me. Why would she? I had to leave, I had to find Dad. But I didn't want to leave Amata behind. Or my Tunnel Snake.

"I can't leave you and Butch behind," I blurted out, tears escaping from my eyes.

"Why would you care about Butch?" Amata wondered. "But you can't sit here and cry and get killed. You have to go. Here," she said, handing me a 10mm pistol, some ammo, and a few bobby pins. "Take these with you. Use the pistol if you need to, but please don't hurt my Dad. You need to get into his office to leave the Vault, but you need the bobby pins to unlock the door." She took a deep breath. "I'll try to distract Dad as much as I can. But you have to leave without me."

I took the items from Amata and gave her a hug. This would probably be the last time I would ever see her. "I'll come back for you," I promised her.

She left my room and headed towards security. I grabbed my back pack and packed everything I thought I would need for the trip outside; stimpaks, extra clothes, my baseball bat, my favorite comics, purified water and food. Dad took most of the supplies when he left, but I took whatever else we had in our tiny little apartment. I picked up my DeLorian and slung her over my shoulder. My baby wouldn't be able to kill the goons fast enough, but I couldn't leave without her. Loading the pistol with some ammunition, I rushed outside, heading towards Butch's apartment. I had to say goodbye to him.

I walked in a fast, steady pace, but also trying to cover my footsteps. I didn't come across any of the security guards yet. My hands were trembling and I kissed the pistol. I was so scared out of my mind, but I had to leave my home behind. Even if I wasn't born here like Amata said, I grew up here. My home was with my Dad, Jonas, Amata, and Butch. And now Jonas is dead. And Dad left me here. I was exiled from my own home.

I reached the door to the apartment when Butch opened it in a panic, and yelled at me, "Save my Ma! The rad roaches are attacking her. My Ma needs you. Please," he pushed me into his apartment, where I fell face first on the floor. I stood up and screamed at him, "Why the fuck can't you do it, Butch? Is the King of the Tunnel Snakes scared of some itty bitty Rad roaches?"

"I can't. Save her. Please. Please. Please. She's all I got," he was screaming and crying at the same time; two things I've never seen Butch do. I picked up my pistol from the floor and entered the bedroom, where sure enough Ellen was being eaten alive by the nasty little Rad roaches.

I shot all four of them, one bullet in the head for each. After the last Radroach took its final breath, I holstered my pistol and ran over to Ellen, pulling out one of my Stimpaks and started to heal her. She lost quite a bit of blood. I helped Butch place her on the bed to rest. She was unconscious by the time I reached her.

"You're the best friend I ever had man," Butch hugged me so tight I could barely breathe.

"I have to go," I cried. I had to leave him. I couldn't stay and take care of his Ma. There were bigger issues at hand.

Butch turned me around to face him. "I know. Amata came by here before the Rad roaches attacked. She said that you mentioned that you didn't want to leave us behind. Amata didn't understand why you didn't want to leave me, but she told me that you were going to leave and it'd be best to say my goodbyes now."

I looked at him and saw more tears pooling in his eyes. He lifted up my chin with his right hand and kissed me. I was completely taken aback by his action. I knew Butch 'flirted' with me, but I had a feeling he didn't mean it. I kissed him back harder, not wanting to break away from my King. I could feel the moan escape from his lips as I ran my fingers through his hair. He pushed me up against the wall and held my hands above my head.

I've waited for this moment to happen since I was sixteen. I was being kissed by Butch. _My _Butch. It was too good to be true. I could feel his heartbeat speed up through his jacket. I loved every minute of it.

"There she is! She's in the DeLoria apartment!" I heard Officer Wolfe's sharp voice from outside.

We pulled apart immediately and Butch grabbed my pistol, aiming straight for Wolfe's head.

"This is for all the shit you've done to us, Wolfe," he cried, pulling the trigger. I could see the bullet moving in slow motion, exiting the gun and aiming for Wolfe. Wolfe was about to lift his pistol from his holster and return fire, but Butch's bullet reached him first, striking him straight in the forehead. His lifeless body fell to ground, a pool of blood forming around his skull like a halo.

Butch gave me back the pistol and took off his jacket, handing it to me. I took it and looked at him in disbelief.

"Come with me Butch," I pleaded. "We'll come back for Amata and everyone else. I can't do this alone."

"I've gotta take care of my Ma. I'll escape this fucking death trap if it's the last thing I do. It's like _1984_ in this hell hole. No wonder Mr. Brotch made us read that when we were sixteen. You have to escape the real life Room 101. I'll find a way to come back to you." He kissed me again, wiping the tears from my eyes with his thumb. "Go get 'em kitty cat."

I put on his Tunnel Snakes jacket, which smelled like whiskey, sweet rolls, and pomade and left his apartment, not daring to turn back and run into his strong arms.

A few more of the Overseer's security came after me, but I stopped them dead in their tracks thanks to the help of the pistol Amata gave me. I was grazed by a few of their bullets and I could feel the blood leaking out from the cuts strewn across my face and arms. I turned the corner and headed towards the Admin level, where the Overseer's office was located.

I found Jonas' body in the Reception room. It took every ounce of strength within my body not to break down and cry. I felt a strange urge to carry his corpse with me outside and give him a proper burial instead of just a cremation. But I knew I was too weak to carry a 163 lbs. man outside. I looted his corpse, and took a few caps and stimpaks from his body. I also took his lab coat with his name etched on the front. I wanted something for me to remember my good friend Jonas by.

I left Jonas there in the Reception room and went towards the Overseer's office. Amata was right; it was locked. I got a bobby pin from my pocket and started to pick the lock. Luckily, the door opened on the first try and I was granted access to his office.

The first thing I noticed when I entered was his terminal. I turned it on and noticed it was locked. Stumped, I looked around the room to see if I could find a hint for the password. I opened one of the nearby lockers and found a holotapes revealing the password; _Amata_.

I typed my best friend's name into the terminal and looked through the Overseer's files. I was shocked to find out that not only did the Overseer use the Tunnel Snakes to his advantage, but that the old Overseer led a group of people outside, to what was known as the 'Capital Wasteland.' They ventured towards a settlement called Megaton, which was near the Vault. I figured that Megaton would be a good place to visit after I escaped. I could buy some more weapons and ammo, and I could possibly ask the townsfolk if they heard of my Father.

I opened the secret tunnel and turned off the terminal. The first thing I noticed when I entered the main entrance was the big steel door of Vault 101. Behind that door laid the Capital Wasteland, which would soon be my makeshift home. Running towards the control panel, I opened the big steel door and watched in awe as it slowly opened for me. I heard footsteps running behind me through the wailing sirens. Loading and aiming my pistol, I turned around to see Amata, caked blood and bruises covering her face. I lowered the pistol and told her "Goodbye, Amata. Take care of everyone for me. Make sure Jonas has a proper burial."

Amata nodded and spoke, "I'll be seeing you. They're coming. The siren has alerted them. You will only have a few seconds before the door closes again."

I took a deep breath. "Tell Butch that I lo-"

"C'mon boys. She's in here with my daughter! Get her!" the voice of the Overseer called out, interrupting my confession to Amata. Without finishing my sentence, I ran as fast as I could into the blinding light. I could hear the cold, steel doors of my home shut tight forever behind me. I kept running down the tunnel until I reached the old wooden door. Opening it, I stepped outside and the bright glare momentarily blinded me as I passed out. The last thing I remembered was the cocking of a shotgun, the panting of an animal, and the hurried footsteps inching closer to my exhausted and beaten up body.

"_They have things like the atom bomb / So I think I'll stay where I om / Civilization, I'll stay right here"_

I woke up the cold wet tongue of some kind of animal licking my cheek. I stirred and opened my eyes to see this ugly monstrous mutation staring down at me. Like hell I was going to be a meal for that fugly thing. I instantly grabbed for my pistol and was about to shoot until I saw the middle-aged man pull the thing away.

"Now, don't shoot 'er girly," the man spoke kindly, ordering that monster to stay still. "She ain't gunna hurt a Blowfly." He extended a hand towards me, which I grabbed and stood up. I dusted off my jumpsuit and asked, "What on Earth is that thing?"

The stranger looked at me puzzled. "Dat's a yao guai. Ain't you seen one of 'em things roamin' 'round the Wastes?"

I shook in my head in disagreement. "What exactly is a yao guai?"

The man took a deep breath and replied, "A yao guai is a mutated bear from the Pre-War. They are dangerous, so aim fer the head on all of 'em except mine. She's tamed an' she helps scare away da Raiders who try an' steal mah wares."

I still didn't have a clue what he was talking about. "Raiders?"

The stranger was obviously getting pretty agitated by my confusion. "You ain't really never seen no Raiders in your travels?"

"What travels," I told him. "I'm from Vault 101. I'm a weary exile."

The stranger smiled at me, noticing my reference to my favorite song. "Singin' my song of loneliness. You all right, girly. Whatcha leave da Vault fer? Bet its better in there den out here."

"To tell you the honest truth, it was living hell. The Overseer, the guy who controlled everything, killed one of my friends, Jonas." I let the tears freely fall down my pale face.

The man patted my back and calmed me down. "Now, now girl. Everythin's fine. Jus' you wait an' see. Now I don' know if you know of any of dem settlements 'round here, but I'll take you wherever ya need to go, ya hear?"

I smiled and thanked him. "I read about a settlement called Megaton on one of the terminals. It's supposed to be around here somewhere."

"Well I'll be. Dat's where I'ma headin' myself. Gots to do some tradin' with the merchant Moira Brown. Real nice girl. If she be askin' fer help, you help her out. Follow me, girl."

I followed this merchant, who told me his name was Charlie Dino, towards the settlement of Megaton. On the short travel, I asked him what the town was like. He said that it has been around for as long as he could remember and it was the second safest settlement in the Wastes after Rivet City, a settlement aboard on an old, rusty ship.

After about ten minutes of walking, three of which were spent shooting some bloat flies and rabid dogs, we reached the metal 'hunk a junk' of Megaton. Standing outside the entrance was a robot adorned with a bullet ridden cowboy hat. It spoke, "Welcome to Megaton. Friendliest town around," and the door to Megaton opened, granting me entrance.

Charlie chuckled to himself. "Now someone's gone an' put a cowboy hat on ol' Deputy Weld. Prolly Simms' son, Hardeen."

"Who is the Simms fellow, " I politely asked my Wasteland friend.

"He's the mayor or whatever he calls himself of Megaton. Don' be causin' no trouble in there and y'all get along like milk an' honey,"

Deputy Weld looked at me and said, "Thirsty partner? Try Moriarty's. Coldest drinks in the Capital Wasteland."

"I think I'm gonna check out Moriarty's while you talk to Moira," I told Charlie, following behind him into Megaton. I marveled at all the houses and buildings made out of sheet metal. _It must've taken them years to build this settlement._

"Alrighty," he replied. "Jus' come into Craterside when you've finished your business. I'll be waitin',"

I followed him towards Craterside Supply, one of the shops run by the Moira girl he mentioned earlier. After a quick introduction, I exited Craterside and headed towards Moriarty's Saloon. Standing outside the bar and admiring the view was a middle-aged man, about my father's age, with medium length gray hair and a smirk on his face. He gave me the chills just by looking at him.

Cautiously approaching him, he turned around and faced me. His eyes lit up when he saw my face and a smile slowly formed over his lips. "Lookin' for dear old daddy?"

I stopped in my tracks. How did he know I was following my father's trail? I cleared my throat and replied, "Do I know you?"

He flicked the bud of his cigarette he had been smoking towards the ground below and said, "You may not remember me, but I'm Moriarty. I haven't seen you since you were a little tyke."

I shook Moriarty's hand, his hand firmly gripping mine. "You haven't by chance seen him, have you?"

Moriarty eyed the door to his saloon. "Why don't we talk about this over a couple of drinks? Assuming you got the caps to spare."

I headed into the saloon after Moriarty. The tiny cramped saloon smelled like various types of spirits, cigar smoke, and gun powder. It made my stomach sick as I sat down on one of the stools. I noticed a man behind the bar, his back turned towards me. He was balding and his skin color, well what was left of his skin anyway, was slightly green and flaking. It was quite a disgusting sight, but I held my tongue. He must be civil if Moriarty's got him working in his bar.

Moriarty set down next to me, and shouted at the man, "C'mere Gob. This lady wants to wet her whistle."

Gob turned around and started to head towards my direction. Approaching me, he handed me one of the menus. "Names Gob. What will ya have smooth skin?" he asked me in a hoarse voice, the voice that belonged to someone who had been smoking all of their life.

I didn't understand the term 'smooth skin', but I ignored his comment and skimmed over the menu. The only thing on it was alcohol: beer, wine, vodka, and whiskey, all extremely overpriced. I put down the menu and told him, "No thank you, sir. I'm quite fine."

Gob looked me shocked and stammered a reply. "Yo-you're welcome, madam. Let me know if you would like anything,"

He turned around and went back to where he was and started to clean some of the shot glasses. I turned around and looked at Moriarty, a low throaty chuckle escaping his lips. "You're not supposed to be kind to slaves, especially ghoulified ones."

"_Slave_? Wasn't slavery abolished before the Great War? And what's a ghoul?" I asked him, looking at him in disgust.

Moriarty smiled at me. "Ghouls are the unlucky bastards who've been exposed to too much radiation. We're living in the apocalypse now, darling. Old world laws don't apply anymore. Slaves are quite useful. They fix your food, clean your house; they do all the mundane tasks you hate. And they are extremely faithful to whoever holds their contract."

I wanted to help Gob. I could tell by the way he acted around this bastard that he hated being his bartender. "I want his contract."

Moriarty laughed out loud. "Now why would I be givin' Daddy's Girl my best bartender? Do you need someone to mix some drinks while you go lookin' for him? He's downright awful with any sort of weaponry, not to mention he's a fuckin' pussy."

"I don't care. You treat him like shit just because he looks different from the rest of us. You're no better than the Overseer in 101."

"Dream all you want girly, but Gob's stayin' in my saloon with me. Now either buy a drink from him or get the fuck out of here. And I ain't tellin' you where your Pop headed, either." With that, he stood up and went upstairs, leaving me alone with Gob and the drunkards.

After a couple of minutes, Gob came back towards me and whispered, "Thanks a lot, kid. You're not so bad for a smooth skin."

I grinned at him. Maybe Gob knew where my Dad went. "Gob, do you know anything about another person from Vault 101? An older guy, about Moriarty's age?" I asked, looking around the saloon to make sure I wasn't overheard.

Gob shook his head. "'Fraid not. Do you know your way around terminals?"

"Yep. I was the Pip-Boy Programmer back home. Why?"

A devilish grin spread across the ghoul's face. "You could hack into his terminal. He types about all sort of crap. I'll bet my pay that your dad is mentioned in there somewhere."

"What if I get caught?"

"You won't," he reassured me. "If he's drugged. Morty loves all sorts of chems, especially jet. Get him all doped up and when he passes out, hack his terminal."

I started to get attached to this ghoul. He sincerely wanted to help me out and he hated Moriarty as much as I did already. Wanting to thank him for his kindness, I added, "If you can help me find some jet, I'll hack your contract to make it say that Moriarty disowned you. All I ask is that you become my companion for a while. Help me find some shelter, learn to scavenge, things like that."

The ghoul's eyes lit up at the opportunity of being freed from Moriarty and his saloon. "You've got a deal, doll. After we find your dad, take me to the Ghoul city of Underworld in D.C."

We shook hands in agreement. Gob said he would steal some of the local junkie's jet that night. He advised me that I better leave before Moriarty comes back down and that he'll meet me at the Water Processing Plant at 7:00 P.M.

It felt like more than three hours, but 7:00 finally came. I hid out in The Craterside Supply with Charlie. I told him my plan about saving Gob and he said he would offer to help "if things got heated." I also took the opportunity to sell some of the items I took from the Vault: a few security uniforms, extra guns, and some broken baseball bats. She kept asking for my jacket, but I kept politely declining her. The only way she'd get my jacket would be if she killed me and looted my corpse. After purchasing some more ammo and repairing the 10mm I got from Amata, I headed outside towards the water plant.

Sure enough, there was Gob, his right foot propped back on the metal wall as he smoked his cigarette. He noticed me headed towards him, and waved me over. He picked a few things out of his pocket, which I assumed was Jet, and gave them to me. "Here are the goods. Head towards the saloon, knock on the door, and apologize to him, handing him the Jet as a peace offering. Enter the saloon and make sure you watch him get doped up. You'll know when he's out of his mind when he takes Nova upstairs; he always fucks 'er when he's doped up. Once they're out of sight, enter the back room near the bar and you'll see his terminal. I'm 'fraid I don't know the password, seeing as it changes every week, but it's usually something related to the gossip 'round town. After four tries, you're locked out so make sure that doesn't happen. Look up information on your daddy, find my contract and edit it, and then run for your fuckin' life. I'll be near the entrance waiting. It shouldn't take you more than thirty minutes." He took a deep breath.

I nodded. "My friend Charlie knows about the plan, too. He's going to be my back-up. He'll stand outside the saloon and if he hears a scuffle, he'll come in and help me take care of Moriarty. Hopefully it doesn't resolve to that, but you can't be too sure."

"Good," Gob replied, taking the last drag from his cigarette before throwing it on the ground and stomping it out with his boot. "Be careful, kid." He gripped my left shoulder tightly.

"You, too," I answered and went towards the saloon. Charlie was in his place as well, sitting outside of Craterside and silently loading his shotgun with ammunition. I winked at him and knocked on the door to the saloon.

Moriarty opened the door and scowled when he saw my face. "I thought I told ya to get lost, girly?"

I gulped and lied straight to his face. "I'm sorry about earlier. So much happened to me in one day. I've got somethin' for you to sell in your saloon. No need to pay me or anything." I held out the Jet and I saw the twinkle in Moriarty's eyes.

He smiled. "Sell? Fuck that, I'm going to get fucked up tonight. Care to join me, m'lady?" He opened the door wider, granting me entrance to the closed saloon.

I entered cautiously, stuffing my hands back in my jacket pockets. "No thanks. I'll just take a whiskey if that's alright with you." I sat down at the same stool and fished out the caps from my pocket.

Moriarty chucked as he opened the refrigerator door and handed me a shot glass and a bottle of whiskey. "On the house, doll."

I popped the top off the whiskey bottle and poured some of the caramel colored spirit into the old shot glass. Slowly lifting the shot glass up to my face, I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, and drank.

The liquid was like fire, my throat aching and burning from the strong substance. I coughed and held back my tears. Moriarty just chucked again. "Whiskey virgin, eh? 'Tis a strong spirit, but one of the finest sellin', after vodka of course. Takes a while to get used to, though."

"Yeah," I sputtered, the effects of the whiskey slowly setting it. I watched Moriarty out of the corner of my eye take some of the Jet. He looked even more like a ranging lunatic doped up than when he was sober.

It took no more than five minutes for Moriarty to get high. With drool escaping from his cracked lips, his bloodshot eyes ogled Nova, the town's whore, staring down at us from the banister upstairs. She grinned like a cat catching its first mouse of the day when he stumbled up the stairs towards her, his eyes darkened with a lustful high only she could fix. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom, where they would soon be acting out every wild and dirty fantasy those two could think of.

I made sure that their door was closed tightly before I hopped off the stool, stashed the whiskey in my back pack, and entered Moriarty's room. There was his terminal in the corner like Gob had said. I sat down at the chair and turned it on, hoping they couldn't hear the noise of the pre-War machine coming back to life. After a few minutes, the welcome screen appeared and asked for the password. I clicked on the hint, which read:

"_Please come out today / So I can tell you what I have to say / That I love you, love you / Pretty blue eyes"_

I frowned after reading the hint. Obviously his password had to do with someone in Megaton who had blue eyes. Whether he was really in love with them or not, it didn't matter. I cussed under my breath. Anyone in town could have blue eyes. And I only had four tries. I closed my eyes tight and tried to remember the townsfolk I met with blue eyes.

Maybe it was Jenny Stahl, the woman who ran The Brass Lantern underneath Moriarty's. I typed "Jenny Stahl" in the terminal and waited.

The screen flashed red with the words "Three Tries Left Before Lockout." So much for beginner's luck.

I thought again. Moriarty didn't seem like someone interested in the same sex, so I ruled out the males. What about Moira Brown, owner of The Craterside Supply? Her store was right next to his, so maybe he admired her from afar? Typing her name in, I got the same message as before. Two tries left.

I bit the nail on my index finger. Perhaps it was Lucy West, the young girl from a settlement on an old bridge. Trembling, I typed her name and was greeted yet again with the same message. Only one more try left.

My head was throbbing. If I couldn't guess the name of the woman in Megaton Moriarty adored with blue eyes, I would be locked out and wouldn't be able to escape with Gob. There was only one other woman that I could think of, and that was the woman Moriarty was making love to upstairs.

I typed her four letter name and sighed with relief when the screen flashed green. "NOVA is correct. Welcome back, Moriarty."

I searched through his blacklist folder, trying to find a text document with either my dad's name or mine. I opened the .txt file titled "James" and scanned over the entry.

It seemed Moriarty was right about knowing my father and me. He came by the saloon before he took me to 101. Dad came here right after he left and caught up with Moriarty about life in the vault. Moriarty noted that he didn't know the exact location of where my father was headed, but he knew it was a secret underground settlement called Rockopolis.

I copied over the document to my Pip-Boy and searched for Gob's slave contract. I skimmed over it and made the necessary changes to make Gob 'mine.' I then send the revised contract to the contact named 'Paradise Falls – Slave Contracts'. After shutting down the terminal, I quietly snuck out of the saloon, giving a thumbs up to Charlie.

I ran towards the metal entrance of Megaton and noticed Gob waiting there for me, the biggest smile plastered on his decaying face. "I knew you could do it, girl. And with only 10 minutes left to spare."

Hand in hand with Gob and Charlie bringing up the rear, the three of us raced towards Springvale.

. . .

_Tomorrow, the three of us plan to head towards Rivet City to ask a surgeon named Pinkerton where Rockopolis is. Charlie had a conversation with him last time he was there and he said that Pinkerton mentioned of having maps for the various settlements in the wasteland. I wonder what my Butch is doing right this moment. Is he thinking of me, or is he fucking that Christine girl? I hope he doesn't forget me. After we find Dad, I'm breaking in to the Vault to get him and Amata._

* * *

**Author's Note:** You can take the girl out of the writing, but you can't take the writing out of the girl. I'm back. I've been very depressed lately, plus I feel like my story isn't going anywhere, so I took a break from writing. If you want to know more, you can PM me about it. I received two messages today, one from a MissMagnificent and another on Wattpad from a ThatdamnVaultie. If it weren't for these two kind individuals, I wouldn't be continuing on with _The Lone Wanderer's Diary_. And to you two, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you. I dedicate this chapter to the both of you. I hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think. Also, this chapter is 10 FRICKIN' PAGES. This is the most I've ever written for a story. :D


	4. Chapter IV: He Who Has Attained His Goal

**Chapter IV: He Who Has Attained His Goals**

_09/20/77_

_9 pm_

_How the fuck can she stand it out here? I mean I know it's been over a month but still. It's all dirty and the people are real jerk offs. Thank God we found Bowie or else 'Mata and I would be dead. He's been teachin' us how to kill all these disgustin' things out here (I killed my first Rad roach! Oh yeah, baby!) and other survival shit. I hope we find her soon._

. . .

Amata entered the room in the Reactor Level and shut the door behind her. I turned around and stared at her. She was carrying some old baseball bats and police batons. I gave her a puzzlin' look and asked her, "'Mata, what's them for?"

Amata sighed and sat down on the cold floor opposite me. "More weaponry. In case the guns jam or we run out of ammunition. And please, stop calling me 'Mata. It's Amata."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Chill. It's a nick name. What, you'd rather be called Nerd?" I picked up one of the baseball bats and studied it. "Ya know it's broken, right?"

Amata sighed yet again. "Obviously, Butch. I have eyes too. What do you think all these extra baseball bats and police batons are for? So I can repair them." She took back the baseball bat from my hands.

"Pssh, I don't need 'em. I got my Toothpick. She's the only weapon I need. Besides my guns," I flexed and kissed my biceps.

Amata giggled as she was repairing the baseball bat. "You're gonna need more than your flabby arms to get past security. Did you break in to her old apartment and steal the stimpaks like I asked?"

"Yeah," I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out five of them. I gave my girl my jacket when she left, but I looted this one off of Paul's body. I really miss Paul sometimes. I wish I didn't give him such a hard time back then.

Amata smiled and grabbed them. "Thanks. I think we have everything." She began to pull out and name off the items in the two boxes we put our supplies in. "Two switchblades, two police batons, two baseball bats, two 10mms, two shotguns, one hundred rounds of ammunition, four boxes of Cram, four boxes of Salisbury steak, ten bottles of purified water, four stealth boys, twenty stimpaks, fifty bobby pins, two Vault suits, . . ."

"Whiskey," I added with a grin, pulling out my flask. I slipped two extra bottles in my backpack last night along with a photo of my Ma.

Amata rolled her eyes. "_Whiskey_," she added to her list of things we had. "Yep, that's pretty much everything. I hope it isn't overkill. We've been collecting all this for over a month now. I'm surprised barely anyone has noticed. Remember, at midnight we break into Dad's office, use his secret tunnel, and escape the Vault." She packed everything into our backpacks and made sure everything was secure.

I pondered this plan a moment. "Wouldn't there be security guarding it?"

"Possibly, after she and her Dad left. We'll just have to trick security is all," she replied, packing her teddy bear and photo of the Overseer into her backpack.

"Now, how in the fuck are we gonna do that?" I asked. Security has gotten tighter in the Vault since she left.

"Hmm," Amata thought. "I've got it! Why don't we just use the stealth boys? When they're patrolling, we can just turn them on and enter the room."

I smiled and high fived her. "Hell yeah! That's a perfect fuckin' plan."

Amata sheepishly grinned. "Thanks. Dad's added more security since most of them died that night. We have to be extremely careful and quiet."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. But still, I want to get some action in of course." I cracked my knuckles.

"Don't act unless they notice you. Then it'll be like that night all over again. God Butch, you're such a dumb ass. Do you _want_ to get killed?"

"Not particularly, no," I joked. "Midnight it is. See ya, 'Mata." I stood up and turned to leave, but Amata grabbed my hand. I spun my head around to face her and jerked my hand away. "What was that for?"

"Butch," she began. "Why do you care so much about her? I mean, it seems like it was just yesterday you were calling her nosebleed and pipsqueak and now you want to run away and save her like a Tunnel Snake in shining leather. You know damn well she is more than capable of taking care of herself out there. There's something you're not telling me."

I slowly backed away from Amata. "I've done told you everything, 'Mata. We've been friends since her 10th birthday party and I only tease her to keep up appearances. She could be dead for all we know. She never came back like she said she would."

"I know _that_, Butch. But I still don't understand it. And maybe she has more important matters at hand? Like, oh I don't know, maybe finding her fucking father? I know you didn't have a dad growing up, but if you mother left the Vault, wouldn't finding her be your first priority?" Amata looked at me.

"Well, you don't need to understand it. We're just friends. It's not like I'm in love with Daddy's Girl or anythin' And I did have a dad, thank you very much. He wasn't the best dad, he fucked 'Ma and I over royally, but I don't worry about him no more. He's dead. About fuckin' time, too."

"You're just fooling yourself," Amata noted. "Wait, you knew who your dad was?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "He was Wolfe, alright? We'll talk about it later." I pushed past her and headed out the door.

"Hey, hot stuff."

I turned around and noticed that none other than Christine was outside the door, waiting for me.

"Hey, doll." I flirted at her. Might as well get some action before I leave.

Christine smiled at me, taking my right arm. "What were you doing in the Reactor Level? I saw you head down there about an hour ago."

"Oh, you know," I told her. "'Stirring' up some trouble for the Overseer." If only she knew how right I was.

She licked her lips. "Wanna come by my place tonight? You've been so unhappy since that little cunt and her daddy left."

It was hard for me not to retort, but I said, "Yeah. Got nobody to make fun of besides the Overseer's daughter."

Christine rubber her palm on my chest. I took a sharp breath. "C'mon, baby. Let me show you the night of your life."

I let her lead me into her empty apartment and into her bedroom, where she started to kiss and unzip my jump suit. God, she was so fucking disgusting. She had absolutely no class. But I didn't let her see my disgust. I faked every moan.

"Oh God, oh god, fuck me baby doll," I groaned, imagining it was her red velvet colored locks entwined in my fingers instead of raven black, her small, soft pink lips enclosed around my member instead of bright red, her delicate hands massaging my boys instead of her big ones. I closed my eyes and imagined it was my blue-eyed girl kissing little Butch instead of Christine Kendall.

"_Fuck_," I moaned her name before I realized what I had said. I opened my eyes to see a stunned and angry Christine looking up at me.

"What the fuck did you just say," she spat at me. I hastily pulled up my jump suit and zipped it.

"Uh, nothin'," I lied as I bent down and picked up my jacket.

She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Why were you moaning _her _name? Don't tell me you have a crush on that whore."

"She's not the whore, you are. I know what you've been doing with Wally behind my back," I growled at her through clenched teeth.

Christine gasped and started to ball her fist up. I moved just in time, her fist hit the cold hard Vault wall where my precious head was.

"_Goddamn_," Christine cried out, rubbing her red fist. She turned and stared daggers at me. "We're so fucking done, Butch."

I laughed. "We were never together. I was always hers." I gave her the finger and bolted out of Christine's apartment as fast as I could. I reached the door to her old apartment. I fumbled through my pockets to get a bobby pin and picked the lock on the door, hurrying inside and shutting the door behind me.

Locking it, I pressed my back up against the door and slowly slid to the floor. I pulled out my Toothpick and started to flick it open and closed. I did that a lot when I was angry.

"Just two more hours," I whispered to myself, placing my Toothpick on the ground and removing my jacket. I lifted up the sleeves on my jumpsuit and stared at the inside of my arms.

I haven't done it in years, but I could still see the faint traces. Not deep enough for Ma to notice, but deep enough for it to hurt and bleed. Just the way I liked it. I ran my right index finger over the horizontal one near my left thumb. That was the night when I found him, hurting Ma.

Back in the day, Ma never drank. Until the night of her prom. She went with Wolfe, who spiked her punch and raped her, therefore created the monster better known as Butch DeLoria. She never told me who my dad was when I was younger, just that he was "a good for nothin' son of a bitch" when she was really hammered. I was too little to notice the bruises on her cheekbones, the tiny gashes on her legs. I just thought she wore purple blush, or that she cut herself shavin'.

I later found out that Wolfe would come over to our apartment while I was at school and beat her up. He didn't want people finding out about the two of them. It would have ruined his reputation.

One day when I was nine, I came home from school early. I got in trouble for pickin' on James' daughter. As I was walking home, I could hear faint sounds of agony coming from my apartment. I burst in the living room and saw a leather jacket lying on the floor, the handle of a switchblade poking out of one of the pockets. I ran towards and picked it up, studying it. I flicked it open and slowly crept towards Ma's bedroom, where I could hear her cries. Mustering up all the courage I had, I opened the door to see Wolfe standing over my Ma, his fists bloodied and raw. Ma was in her underwear, now stained with sweat and her blood.

"I've got a tooth to pick with you!" I yelled at the man. I meant to say bone, but I was trying to sound tough. I grabbed the switchblade with both hands and held it in front of my face, like a baseball player getting ready to hit a home run.

The man laughed at me and stepped away from my Ma, wiping his fists on his pants. "Oh, little Butchie," he cooed at me like I was three years old. "Whatcha gonna do with my switchblade, eh?"

I ran towards him, slashing at him with the blade. He yelped and tried to grab me, but I was faster than him. I kept slicing at his face, hoping he'd be in so much pain he'd run away. But he never did. He finally cornered me and picked me up, throwing me violently against the wall. I tried to get back up, but he bent down and pinned my arms. The switchblade landed a few feet out of my reach.

He laughed again, the blood gushing out of the wounds on his face. I tried will all my might to break free from his abnormally strong grasp, but it was futile. I lost. I was the victim now. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see his battered face as he beat the shit out of me.

To my surprise, I didn't feel a blow on my face from his fists. Instead, I felt his hands being quickly removed from my wrists. I opened my left eye and noticed that Ma hit him with her Pip-Boy, the screen caked with fresh blood. She smiled and me and offered her hand, which I took. We ran towards James' office and told him everything that happened. He helped us drag Wolfe's unconscious body out of our apartment. After he fixed our injuries, he told us that he drugged Wolfe so he wouldn't remember a thing and come back after us.

He never bothered us again, but it didn't help that I was still traumatized. I started to use his switch blade, which I now called my Toothpick, to injure my body. When James asked about them during my checkups, I would always change the topic. Thinking that Ma was abusing me when she was drunk, he told her about the cuts and scars, so I had to be extra careful that she didn't notice.

I still fight the urge, but now I drink instead. But there is one scar that I don't mind if people see: the snake wearing a crown on the inside of my left arm, below my elbow. It was proof that I was the Serpent King and I wasn't going to take shit from anyone, especially not assholes like Wolfe.

The rapid knocking on the door brought me back to reality. I stood up and peered outside the window. It was Amata, looking as frantic as ever. I opened the door and asked, "What? It's not midnight yet?"

Amata was shaking. "It's two minutes to midnight. C'mon, we've gotta get our stuff now and use the stealth boys."

I was about to step out of her apartment when I noticed the framed Bible quote on the wall, the one her mother adored. I lifted it from the wall to take with me and saw that the frame was hiding a wall safe. Digging out another bobby pin from my pocket, I started to pick the lock.

It took about three bobby pins in the end, but I eventually opened the safe to find a tightly wrapped cloth bag. I picked it up cautiously and I heard the faint jingle of bottle caps inside. Not questioning its place in a safe, I stashed it in my jacket and rushed outside, following Amata towards the Reactor Level.

"You know," I spoke as we ran. "You really ain't such a fat ass after all."

Amata turned around to say somethin' snarky at me, but she tripped and slid almost all the way down the stairs to the Reactor Level.

"Fuckin' spaz. You 'kay?" I chortled as I offered her my hand.

She sighed and took my hand as I helped her back on her feet. "Yeah. Fuck you, Butch."

"What?" I laughed again. "It's not like I tripped ya. I'm amazed gravy hasn't started pouring out your leg."

She grumbled insults at me under her breath as we started to put our backpacks on. She handed me one of the stealth boys.

"Put this on your wrist and hit the button once it turns midnight. We'll be invisible but I'm sure that you can still hear sound, so don't run. It's possible that security would hear the Vault door open. If you see them, then you can run as fast as you can. Don't shoot unless they shoot first. The invisibility should last until we're outside." She took a deep breath. "It's now or never."

I put the stealth boy on my wrist and waited. I felt like I was going to be sick. What if we messed up?

"Three . . . , two . . . , one. Now." Amata instructed as she counted down the seconds and pressed the button on her stealth boy. I did the same and we calmly walked out of the Reactor Level, being extra careful not to make any noise.

We reached her Dad's office in five minutes. As expected, there were two guards patrolling the door. We held back and waited for the guards to turn the corner. The minute they did, I pulled out one of the bobby pins and quickly unlocked the door. I felt Amata brush past me as she headed towards the terminal, the sound of the keys told me she was typing the password.

The tunnel opened and we hurried down to the control room. She opened the door and the siren started to blare, slowly deafening us. While waiting for the door to fully open, I could hear the fierce voice of the Overseer curse at his men.

"You idiots! The door is open _again_. What's the point of having you two buffoons around if you can't do your job?" Two quick fires from a gun told us that the men were dead and the hurried footsteps were quickly approaching us.

_Run_ my inner voice screamed at me. I felt around for Amata's presence and grabbed her hand.

We bolted as fast as we could, not daring let go of the other. We were slowly starting to lose our invisibility when we reached the wooden door. Amata suddenly halted, her boots already half visible.

"Goodbye, father!" she called out as we both pulled opened the door to the outside. Quickly slamming it, we fell to the ground and covered our eyes as we began to cough.

The air was thick with dust and the sun was blaring against our backs. I slowly opened my eyes, trying to get them adjusted to the harsh light, and saw Amata panting.

"We. Did. It." She wheezed, giving me a thumbs up. I helped her stand up and we both looked around at our new world.

"Completely barren of any plant life whatsoever." Amata noted as she took in the atmosphere. She squinted at something in the distance and pointed. "Is it just me, or does that look like a settlement? I think I can faintly see a person near it."

"Let's find out," I replied, running towards the strange metal thing.

We ran as fast as we could towards it. Correct in our assumptions of it being a settlement, we spotted a thirty-something male standing near it, speaking into what looked like a Pre-war voice recorder.

"Day three-hundred. I've arrived back at the settlement of Megaton to trade some wares I've gathered from the Muties the other day in D.C. Tough bastards, but that's of no surprise. After selling what weaponry I scavenged off their mutated bodies, I will turn in for the day at the Common House, where my weary body awaits the rest that only a 200-year old mattress can give me. Tune in next week for another episode of _Siddhartha_. Signing off, Bowie." He finished recording and started to enter the metal thing when he noticed the two of us gawking at him.

Amata spoke first. "A-ar-are you . . ."

The man sighed at us. "Yes, yes you did indeed hear me correctly. _I'm _the almighty great Bowie or whatever you'd like to call me. I adore my fans, dearly I do, but please, can it wait until the morning before I autograph whatever it is you want me to autograph?"

"What? Fans? Just who exactly are you?" I told him.

Bowie looked at us and laughed. "Now _this _is a façade I've never had to fortune to encounter. Fans pretending to not know me? Ha, please." He was still laughing at us until he saw what we were wearing and looked back towards our Vault. Now, it was his turn to stammer in awe. "Don-don't tell m-me you're f-f-from,"

I smiled smugly at Bowie. "Yes that's right. We're from Vault 101, the best mother fuckin' Vault in the world! Go on, you can touch me. I won't bite."

"Vault 101? The vault where the Lone Wanderer herself spent her childhood days? You have got to be kidding me. No wait, you can't be joking because your suits proudly say 101. Is it really like _1984_ down there like she says?" Bowie was completely awestruck.

"The Lone Wanderer?" Amata questioned the man. We looked at each other. Could this Lone Wanderer be _her_? It had to be, nobody else escaped our Vault.

"The Lone Wanderer is the gal who sprang from your Vault. Don't know her real name though, she refuses to tell us. Three Dog is always talkin' about her on GNR. She's been in the Wastes for a little over a month now, but she's already doing great things. According to the Dog, she's almost near Rivet City where she will finally get the map to the location of her father. Along the way, she's done various tasks for people. She's pretty damn good at fighting for someone who's been in a Vault all her life." Bowie shook our hands, smiling from ear to ear. "You must be Butch DeLoria and Amata Almodavar, right?"

"Er, yeah?" I told him. Did she tell him about us?

"Man, she's going to be so happy to find out that you've escaped. See, after finding her daddy-o, she was gonna come home and save you guys. But now that you two are here, why don't we surprise her? After all the great things she's been doing for us out here, it's the least we could do for her." Bowie jumped up and down in excitement. "And now you guys can be a part of my radio show!"

"Hold up, hold up." It was my turn to question this Bowie fella. "One, what in the fuck is a three dog? Two, what's GNR? And three, what the fuck kinda name is Bowie?"

Bowie smiled at me, his green eyes twinkling. "One and two, Three Dog is the disk jockey of GNR, also known as Galaxy News Radio. I record my weekly struggles surviving through the Wastes for him and send him the holodisks every Sunday to be broadcast the following Monday. I've been doing this for almost a year now. It's called _Siddhartha_, which is my real name. Siddhartha Khan. And three, Bowie is just a nick name I've acquired through my travels."

"How did you get that nick name?" Amata asked him, blushing like mad.

Bowie put his arm around her. "You see doll, before I started working for GNR, I was a Regulator. We were like the cowboys on those old holo discs, cleanin' scum off the streets. We were chasin' this group of mercs called Talon Company straight into the heart of D.C. We were outside GNR headquarters when some even more baddies joined the fight, Super Mutants. I'll explain 'bout them later. Anyway, we started fighting the Muties and Talon. We managed to kill all of Talon Company and only one mutie was left. He was wounded pretty badly, just one good shot woulda killed him, but we were all outta ammo. The mutie killed my men. Just as he was about to rip me in half, I slit his throat with my Bowie knife. Three Dog came outside to see the ruckus and asked me to work for him." He smiled down at her.

"Why should we trust you?" I asked him. I think Amata might have a crush on him. Dumb girl.

He smirked and responded, "If the Lone Wanderer can trust me, why can't you?"

I studied Bowie in his ripped clothing and disheveled medium-length black hair. Maybe he was right. He looked harmless after all, just a fella with a big ego. And she did trust him. Why not? I looked over at Amata, who was staring at Bowie with love struck eyes.

"Whaddya say, 'Mata? Wanna team up with Bowie and find our gal? He knows more about life out here than the two of us combined. With his celebrity, your brains, and my good looks, we will be the baddest fuckin' gang in the Wastes!"

She shook her head, not daring to remove her eyes from Bowie.

"It's a plan!" Bowie exclaimed in delight, taking us both into a big hug. "Come follow me inside Megaton. I've got a lot to teach you two about living out here in the Wastes and how to kill. I've heard from Lucas that they've been having a Radroach problem near The Brass Lantern. Why don't we head over there and practice hunting and killing game?"

"Uh," I looked down at my boots.

Amata punched me in the arm. "It's about time you got over your fear of Rad roaches, Butch. There's bound to be worse things out here than a few tiny roaches."

Bowie shook his head. "You got that damn right. There are super mutants, centaurs, yao guai, mire lurks, all kinds of shit. I'll teach you two how to hunt them in no time"

"One more question," I asked him. "What does Siddhartha mean?"

Grinning, he replied, "It means 'he who has attained his goals'. Follow me,"

And so we did. We followed him into Megaton, leaving the life we thought we knew behind and opening the door for brand new adventures.

. . .

_It's nice to know she's alive, and better yet, kickin' ass and takin' names. That's my girl! I like to think I taught her well, haha. Oh, who am I kiddin'? Must run in her blood or somethin'. Or maybe it's from practicin' with that DeLorian (still mad that she was going to make targets of my face). Anyway, we're going to stay in Megaton until tomorrow mornin' and then we're going wherever the wind takes us, in Bowie's words that is. I kinda want to head towards GNR myself. If we go to GNR next, he said it might take us a week or more, dependin' on how many 'uglies' are waitin' for us. I don't want to know what he means by 'uglies'._

_-Butch_

* * *

**Author's Note: **I wrote this chapter in two days because I couldn't wait for you guys to read it. I hope you like it! Bowie is definitely my favorite original character so far (and if anyone's wondering, yes he's named after David Bowie and Khan from _Star Trek_.) One of my readers on Tumblr named magicmoloko noticed an error in my previous chapters where I mentioned the characters using bottle caps (a notable example would be when Butch bought TLW a necklace as a kid for her birthday). I meant to use Pre-war money or some other type of currency in the Vault. I'm so used to bottle caps being the currency of the Wasteland that it completely escaped my mind that they didn't use the same currency in 101. I apologize for this error. I might go back and correct it later on.


End file.
